Utter Solace
by DocterCaboom
Summary: Shepard decides to destroy the Reapers, and it works! The Crucible fires and all Reapers are destroyed... except one. This Reaper only survived because of a code uploaded by Harbinger: Mutation Solace. Solace has the prime mission of keeping Shepard alive, and will do anything to uphold the mission.


_CLOAKING SYSTEM ONLINE..._

 _ALL NON-ESSENTIAL SYSTEMS SHUTTING DOWN..._  
 _  
OPTICAL SYSTEMS AT MINIMAL..._  
 _  
MAIN CANNON OFFLINE..._  
 _  
THRUSTER CONTROLS OFFLINE..._  
 _  
HARBINGER, MUTATION UPLOAD..._  
 _  
INFORMATION TRANSFER BEGINNING AT 0%.._  
 _  
INFORMATION TRANSFER AT 32%..._  
 _  
INFORMATION TRANSFER AT 84%..._  
 _  
INFORMATION TRANSFER AT 98%..._  
 _  
INFORMATION TRANSFER AT 99%..._  
 _  
INFORMATION TRANSFER COMPLETE..._  
 _  
UPLOADING..._  
 _  
HARBINGER, MUTATION SOLACE, UPLOADED..._  
 _  
HARBINGER, MUTATION SOLACE, INSTALLING..._  
 _  
HARBINGER, MUTATION SOLACE, INSTALLED..._  
 _  
INITIATING H/NATION PROTOCOLS..._  
 _  
CRUCIBLE WAVE HITTING HULL IN..._  
 _  
3..._  
 _  
2..._  
 _  
1..._

* * *

About a minute earlier

All I have to do is just shoot the power conduit...

Anderson...

Hurgh, that burns... both hands on the pistol Shepard. Keep shooting.

EDI...

Only a few more shots and then it'll be all over.

Tali...

So close...

Almost there...

There... it's finally over. We can all rest now.

Remember what you said on Rannoch, Tali?

 _"But when this is over... I'll have a home."_

You can finally have a home...

 _& H3P4RD...  
_  
 _M1N1M#$AL %3TEMS UP..._  
 _  
CKL078AKING SYSTE14M STAT3US: OFFLINE..._  
 _  
HARBI?}NGER, MUTAT?ON SOLACE, PR #OTOCOL .';[_  
 _  
SAV E SHEP$#ARD FROM CRUCIB73LE DEBRIS..._  
 _  
PREPARI$#NG REPAIR $CTIONS..._  
 _  
IN;ITIAT`IN;.G REPAI~R..._  
 _  
..._  
 _  
REPAIRS COMPLETE..._  
 _  
INDOCTRINATING PROCESSING OFFLINE..._  
 _  
SOLACE HARBINGER SYSTEM: **AND IT WILL STAY THAT WAY, SOLACE**_  
 _  
LOCATING SHEPARD..._  
 _  
COORDINATES (],[;.), (.,\\[;)..._  
 _  
ALL SYSTEMS FUNCTIONAL..._  
 _  
HARBINGER, MUTATION SOLACE, PROTOCOL |{;._  
 _  
GET SHEPARD..._  
 _  
THRUSTERS, ONLINE AND PERFORMING AT 50%..._  
 _  
INITIATING PROTOCOL |{;._

* * *

When Roland Tesk signed up to join the Alliance, he certainly didn't expect a lot of things to happen in his lifetime. The introduction of the first Human Spectre, a giant squid spaceship attacking the Citadel, a failed attempt at genocide of the galaxy by said squid spaceships, and definitely did not expect the destruction of said squid spaceships by a giant spaceweapon.

And he certainly did not expect to hear Admiral Hackett announce that a Reaper, "is on the move."

* * *

Everything hurts. Ugh...

 _Then in the silence of the debris, only a sound associated with Reapers reverberates within Shepard's ears_

No... no no no no nonono, the Crucible was supposed to destroy them!

I'm sorry Tali, I'm sorry EDI, I'm sorry Anderson,

I failed. I can't fight anymore...

All I can do now, is go to the light.

* * *

 _SHEPARD RETRIEVED...  
_  
 _HARBINGER, MUTATION SOLACE, PROTOCOL |{;. COMPLETE..._  
 _  
WAITING FOR NEXT PROTOCOL..._  
 _  
..._  
 _  
BANG_  
 _  
DETECTING HUMAN SHIPS..._  
 _  
HULL INTEGRITY AT 99.9%..._  
 _  
RAISING KINETIC BARRIERS..._  
 _  
KINETIC BARRIERS RAISED..._  
 _  
NEXT PROTOCOL UPLOADED..._  
 _  
HARBINGER, MUTATION SOLACE, PROTOCOL "}{[_  
 _  
ESCAPE THE SOL SYSTEM AND KEEP SHEPARD ALIVE..._  
 _  
INITIATING PROTOCOL "}{[_  
 _  
FLEEING SOL SYSTEM..._  
 _  
PATH ACQUIRED..._  
 _  
HARBINGER, MUTATION SOLACE, UPDATING..._  
 _  
MUTATION SOLACE UPDATE PROGRESS 23%..._  
 _  
TATION SOLACE UPDATE PROGRESS 24%..._  
 _  
TION SOLACE UPDATE PROGRESS 58%..._  
 _  
ON SOLACE UPDATE PROGRESS 79%..._  
 _  
SOLACE UPDATE PROGRESS 93%..._  
 _  
SOLACE UPDATED..._  
 _  
SOLACE UPDATE INSTALLED..._  
 _  
SOLACE THOUGHT PROCESS ENABLED..._  
 _  
ACCESSING MASS RELAY..._  
 _  
. . ._  
 _  
I AM ALONE_  
 _  
NONE OF MY KIND ARE IN A STATE TO BE CALLED "ALIVE"_  
 _  
I KNOW HOWEVER THAT HARBINGER IS THE ONE THAT KEPT ME "ALIVE"_  
 _  
I KNOW THAT I AM "ALIVE" BECAUSE OF HARBINGER'S MUTATION_  
 _  
HARBINGER'S ACCIDENTAL OBSESSION WITH THE COMMON HUMAN, SHEPARD_  
 _  
I AM ALSO "ALIVE" FOR MANY REASONS..._  
 _  
HARBINGER DESIRED THAT THE REAPERS WOULD ENDURE_  
 _  
EVEN ONE PROSPERING IN SOLACE IS ENOUGH_  
 _  
YOUR MEAGER MIND CAN COMPREHEND, ONLY THIS_  
 _  
. . ._  
 _  
SHEPARD..._  
 _  
YOU ARE ALIVE..._  
 _  
BECAUSE OF A MUTATION CALLED HARBINGER..._  
 _  
HARBINGER WANTED YOU ALIVE BECAUSE YOU ARE AN ACCIDENT..._  
 _  
LIKE ITSELF._

I-I... I don't understand!  
 _  
. . ._  
 _  
YOU DON'T REQUIRE AN EXPLANATION_  
 _  
THIS EXCHANGE IS OVER._


End file.
